From the Tarpit: Early Post-Mortems: Virginia Tech-Boise State

September 07, 2010|By Dave Fairbank | Daily Press

Much to dissect, large and small from Monday's highly entertaining game.

Tech coach Frank Beamer lamented that the Hokies were one first down away from clinching Monday's game. He's right. Had Tech converted a first down at the two-minute mark, it likely could have run out the clock, or at the very least given Boise no time to march downfield.

Good as Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor was all evening, third-down conversions were a problem for the Hokies. They converted just 4 of 12 for the game and 2 of 7 in the second half. Part of that can be attributed to a relatively ineffective running game.

As Comrade Teel points out elsewhere, the Hokies totaled just 128 yards on the ground and 2.9 per carry. Take away Taylor's 73 net yards rushing, and it was 55 yards on 28 carries from everyone else.

Taylor threw just seven incompletions the entire game, but his last four passes were incomplete. Granted, the last three came when he was throwing long, trying to make a big play in the final minute after Boise scored to go ahead 33-30.

Two penalties -- one that stood and one that was waved off -- played significant roles in Boise State's winning touchdown drive.

Boise's Jeremy Avery was flagged for a block-in-the-back on Tech's last punt of the game, but officials picked up the flag and reverse the call. Mitch Burroughs returned the punt 25 yards to the Boise State 44. Had the penalty stood, the Broncos would have started at approximately their own 20.

"It was huge, no question about it," Boise State coach Chris Petersen said. "I think there's a tremendous momentum that we built off of that good field position. It changes your whole mindset."

And then there was the penalty that counted. Tech linebacker Bruce Taylor was flagged for a late hit, out-of-bounds, at the end of a reception by Boise's Austin Pettis. Pettis had just caught a 14-yard pass to the Tech 26. The dead-ball personal foul moved the ball to the 13, where Boise had a first down with 1:20 remaining.

Two plays later, quarterback Kellen Moore found Pettis on a post route in the back of the end zone for the winning points.

Bruce Taylor also missed a tackle, as did Lyndell Gibson, on one of the game's biggest plays: D.J. Harper's 71-yard touchdown run that gave Boise a 26-21 lead and immediately answered Tech's first go-ahead scoring drive in the third quarter.

Poor as Virginia Tech was on special teams in the first half, Boise State miscues on special teams almost cost the team dearly in the second half. The Broncos missed an extra point -- Tech's Andre Smith blocked it -- that left them ahead only 26-21 midway through the third quarter.

Boise also botched the snap on Kyle Brotzman's 30-yard field goal attempt. He pulled the kick wide left, which allowed the Hokies to keep a 27-26 lead.